Today, 10 new ambulances were delivered to EKAV by the Ministry of National Economy and Finance, which came to be added to the 7 already delivered within 2023.

The funds for these 17 ambulances came from donations from our fellow Greeks to the special Covid-19 account.

The ceremony took place at the Central Office of the Athens Transport Authority, in the presence of the Minister of National Economy and Finance, Kostis Hatzidakisof the Minister of Health, Adonis Georgiadis and the president of EKAV, Nikolaos Papaefstathiou.

In the context of the presentation, Kostis Hatzidakis and Adonis Georgiadis noted that:

  • Health spending has increased by 46.5%, compared to 2019.
  • The State Budget of 2024 foresees additional funding of 481 million euros for the country’s public hospitals.
  • The establishment of a Special Joint Cooperation Committee of the Ministries of National Economy and Finance is progressing, with the aim of further strengthening the National Health System. In particular, the purpose of the Committee is, on the one hand, to record the financing needs of health infrastructure and, on the other hand, to ensure the proper management of the available resources.

THE Kostis Hatzidakis stated: “With today’s delivery of 10 ambulances from the Ministry of National Economy and Finance to EKAB, the delivery of a total of 17 ambulances is completed. The money, we should note, comes from voluntary offers of Greek citizens, made in a special account, which was opened when society was being tested by the coronavirus crisis.

I want to thank our fellow citizens, who from their backlog, many times, contributed to the acquisition of these ambulances. We need this kind of movement from everyone, as much as possible, because Greece will change even more when we all change. And our fellow citizens, who contributed in this direction, show the way.

I want to note that in the last 4 years health spending has increased by 46.5% of the budget. However, this does not mean that the health system does not have problems. The opposite. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis himself was the first to highlight them, and that is why we have committed to hiring more medical and nursing staff and to further health support. For 2024 alone, the budget provides an additional €481 million in funding for our hospitals.

With Adonis Georgiadis, the new Minister of Health, we have already started working together to see the individual needs of the Ministry of Health and the National Health System and in terms of further support, but also for the proper management of resources. And I am particularly pleased that just last week we jointly decided to set up a joint committee of the two Ministries, Finance and Health, to deal on an ongoing basis with the issues of health financing and the sound management of resources with the assistance of experts. I am sure that thanks to the effort he will make himself, the situation will improve. We have an obligation to all our fellow citizens. The issue of health is, obviously, a matter of humanity.”

THE Adonis Georgiades, said: “I, in turn, would like to thank the thousands of our fellow citizens, who, in the midst of the wave of the pandemic at the time, wanted to give a little money to strengthen the National Health System. Thousands of people will be saved by these 17 ambulances thanks to the assistance of the rescuers and all the members of EKAB, which I especially want to thank. It is a sample of how social solidarity and empathy can make human societies and our Greece better.

With the Chancellor of the Exchequer, indeed, we have started hard work since my early days at the Department of Health – I thank him for that. Kostis Hatzidakis and I have had a very close collaboration for years and we match the way we think. Our purpose is, on the one hand, to reduce waste – where it exists – in the health system, but on the other hand, all the resources that will be saved return to the health system, as Mr. Prime Minister said, and thus to constantly improve the level of services provided to our fellow citizens. One proof is today’s offer of these ambulances, which is one such example in practice, and many more will follow in the course of time because I’m sure you all know that Kyriakos Mitsotakis himself has highlighted the issue of health as the absolute priority of his second term” .

The president of EKAV, Nikolaos Papaevstathiou, said: “Today, with the delivery of 10 ambulances, the donation of the Ministry of Finance, essentially the donation of Greek society to the National Center for Immediate Assistance, is completed. These ambulances, together with all the rest of the logistical equipment, which is being upgraded, as well as the EKAB staff which has been strengthened, but will be further strengthened, can ensure the provision of a high level of emergency pre-hospital care to our fellow citizens, who really have it need.

So, I want to emphasize and assure that these ambulances in the right hands, which are the hands of trained rescue nurses and doctors of the EKAV, will catch on and will be able to save thousands of lives in the coming years.”

It should be noted that the 10 new ambulances will cover critical needs in the areas of Thessaloniki, Kozani, Tripoli, Evia, Kavala, Alexandroupoli and Heraklion. In the previous months, the delivery of another 6 ambulances in Attiki and Fthiotida, as well as a Mobile Unit for the needs of the Athens Ambulance Service, had been completed.

The ceremony was also attended by the Vice President of EKAV, Panagiotis Koutsoumbelis and the 2nd Vice President of EKAV, Michalis Agraniotis.

With the delivery of the ambulances, the two Ministers were guided by the Director of Medical Services of EKAV Athens, doctor Dimitris Pyrros, to the Coordination Center of the Central Service of EKAV, the 166 call center and the KEPY of EKAV and then to the Crisis Management Team of EKAV EKAB, which manages the pandemic.